Battle of Pointe du Hoc

The Battle of Pointe du Hoc occurred on 6 June 1944 when the US 2nd Ranger Battalion and US 5th Ranger Battalion assaulted German artillery fortifications on the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France during Operation Overlord. 225 Rangers took part in the assault on Pointe du Hoc, facing 200 German troops; they were held back at the cliffs, with many of them being killed during their ascent, some by the falling bodies of their own dead troops. However, the Rangers continued to send more troops up the cliffs, and they would succeed in taking the cliffs and engaging the German defenders in trench warfare. The Rangers cleared several German bunkers and trenches before destroying their artillery, and they also defended Pointe du Hoc from German counterattacks. Pointe du Hoc was a fine display of the bravery of the US Army Rangers, and President Ronald Reagan would commend them in a 6 June 1984 speech commemorating the 40th anniversary of Overlord.